Lawmakers Urge Buhari to Secure Release of Remaining Kidnapped Abuja-Kaduna Train Passengers, Others

Udora Orizu in Abuja

The House of Representatives has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to expedite action in securing the release of the remaining 51 Nigerians kidnapped in the Abuja-Kaduna bound train that was attacked by terrorists on March 28, and all others held hostage by bandits and terrorists across the country.

The House also urged the federal government to set up a high-powered inter-agency panel to coordinate efforts and ensure the release of kidnapped victims across the country, as well as assist their families.
The resolutions of the lawmakers were sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Hon. Bamidele Salam and 10 others at the plenary yesterday.

Moving the motion, Salam noted that in the last 10 years, terrorism, banditry, kidnappings and other forms of violent crimes had become a security epidemic in different parts of the country.
He also noted that in 2022, there have been over 100 cases of kidnappings and abduction of innocent Nigerians, the most disturbing being the case of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.

He expressed concern that over 70 per cent of the kidnapped victims were mostly children, women and elderly persons who were violently attacked and captured by criminals in the course of discharging their daily activities on the farms, villages, roads, worship centres and other places.

He also expressed concern that a large number of the kidnapped citizens had remained in captivity for years, months and days without any form of help to either release them or provide social, medical or economic support to their grieving family members from the government.

The lawmaker said: “Cognisant that some of the unresolved cases of kidnappings include the remnant of 2014 kidnapped Chibok girls, Leah Sharibu in February 2018, the Islamiyya school students kidnapped in Niger State on 30 May 2021, the Bethel Baptist High School Kaduna students kidnapped on July 5, 2021, and the Students of Federal Government College Birnin Yauri students kidnapped on 21 October, 2021.

“Dismayed that during the train attack, 168 Nigerians were reportedly kidnapped with eight persons killed, including a young doctor due to travel out of the country, the week the incident occurred.

“Concerned that the abductors of the train attack recently released pictures and video footages of 62 victims held hostage in terrible, physical and emotional conditions with a threat to kill them if their demands were not met by the federal government.

“Also dismayed that the hostages include children aged two, five, seven and nine years; men with bullet wounds, a victim with an amputated leg; diabetic patients, while others are citizens with various health challenges as well as nursing mothers. “Aware that the stories told by 11 of the hostages recently released by the kidnappers depict the increasingly deteriorating condition of the remaining hostages who are getting malnourished, emotionally distressed and psychologically traumatised for over 70 days in the forest.”

Salam expressed concerns that if nothing urgent was done to secure the freedom of victims in captivity across the country, citizens would lose confidence in government which may embolden criminals and groups to step up acts of criminality and thus endanger the stability of the nation.
Adopting the motion, the House mandated its Committees on Army, National Security and Intelligence to ensure compliance.